NATO, EU condemn Russia's 2014 seizure of Crimea

International News

Mar 18, 2019

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO and the European Union are condemning Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula five years after Moscow declared the region Russian territory.
NATO allies said in a statement Monday that “we strongly condemn this act, which we do not and will not recognize.”
They also criticized Russia’s military buildup in Crimea and alleged rights abuses including “arbitrary detentions, arrest, and torture” against members of the Crimean Tartar community.
EU foreign ministers are marking the fifth anniversary of the annexation.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said: “We stand in full solidarity with Ukraine, supporting its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
NATO and the EU also called for the release of Ukrainian sailors detained by the Russian navy and coast guard in waters off Ukraine in November.